By Sunday 
When you think of Liverpool’s summer transfer window, the headlines were all about Florian Wirtz’s record-breaking £116m arrival and the £125m swoop for Alexander Isak. Splashing out £446m in one window is bound to turn heads.
But tucked away behind the glamour deals, Liverpool pulled off something far quieter — and arguably even more impressive. A shrewd bit of business involving Harvey Elliott and Ben Gannon-Doak quietly turned a £4.6m investment into a £60m return. And almost nobody is talking about it.
From Teenage Prospects to Big-Money Sales
Back in 2019, Liverpool snatched Harvey Elliott from Fulham for just £4m in tribunal compensation. Three years later, they repeated the trick by signing 16-year-old Ben Gannon-Doak from Celtic for a mere £600,000.
Both signings flew under the radar. Neither deal came with the fanfare of a marquee signing — they were investments in potential. Fast forward to 2025, and Liverpool have sold Elliott to Aston Villa for £35m and Gannon-Doak to Bournemouth for £25m.
That’s a combined £60m return on a £4.6m spend. In football finance terms, that’s nothing short of a masterclass.
The Hidden Clauses That Show Long-Term Thinking
What makes this even more impressive is that Liverpool haven’t just cashed in and walked away. FSG ensured both deals included buy-back clauses and sell-on percentages, meaning the Reds are still tied to the players’ futures.
So, if Elliott blossoms into a Premier League star at Aston Villa or Gannon-Doak explodes at Bournemouth, Liverpool have kept the door open for a reunion — or at least another payday.
As one analyst put it: “It’s the kind of smart, future-proof deal you rarely see in the chaos of modern football.”
FSG’s Quietest Win Yet
With all the noise about record-breaking transfers, it’s easy to overlook the smaller moves that keep a club financially balanced. Liverpool’s ability to combine headline signings with sharp, under-the-radar business is exactly why they remain competitive without oil-rich owners.
For Fenway Sports Group, this isn’t just a good summer — it’s a validation of their entire model. They’ve proven once again that you don’t need to spend recklessly to stay at the top.
Final Word
Liverpool may have dominated the back pages with blockbuster buys, but it’s this £55m transfer trick that might be the most important story of the summer. In a football world obsessed with spending, FSG reminded everyone that smart business still wins.